Cyber world is turning social. I talk about the tools and technologies used by this social world.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Learning Wicca & Witchcraft

Last few months, being in America, given me the opportunity to exlore various new subjects. I am a person with deep interest in spirituality and mysticism. Being in US, I got opportunity to study about the subjects that are not very common in India e.g. Wicca, Paganism, Neopaganism, Witchcraft, Voodoo, Tai Chi, I Ching, Buddhism, Tibetan Tantra & Yoga. One reason that I was able to study these subject is sufficient availability of time and great network of libraries that makes books on variuos subjects esily accessible.

So coming to the Wicca, what is Wicca? Wikipedia tells us that Wicca is a nature-based religion found in various countries throughout the world. It was first popularised in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. He claimed that the religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witchcraft religion, which had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-ChristianPaganism of Europe. Wicca is thus sometimes referred to as the Old Religion. The veracity of Gardner's claims cannot be independently proven, and it is thought that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s.Various related Wiccan traditions have since evolved or been adapted from the form established by Gardner, which came to be called Gardnerian Wicca. These other traditions of Wicca each have distinctive beliefs, rituals, and practices. Many traditions of Wicca remain secretive and require that members be initiated.

Book of Shadows is the book that is regarded as the Bible for Wicca. However, several proposed versions of the Book have been published. If you are interested in learning Wicca, there is an Internet version available of this book called Internet Book of Shadows. You can check that version out here. So if you are interested in learning Wicca, I would suggest that this is the best place to start on Internet. I would appreciate your experience with this book here.